Just like national teams, clubs also have their own classification — the UEFA ranking. Based on it, not only individual clubs but also entire leagues are ranked.
UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) is an international organization that brings together football clubs from Asia and Europe. It was founded on June 15, 1954, in Switzerland. It is the most important organized structure that decides the format of both club and international competitions.
The competitions organized by UEFA include:
Currently, 55 national associations are members of UEFA.
To achieve a high position in the UEFA ranking tables, one good season is not enough. Good form must be maintained over several years. The table includes each country's position, the number of points earned in individual seasons, and the final total. The position is significant — depending on it, a country can send a certain number of teams to European competitions.
It is no secret that Polish clubs have not achieved significant success on the international stage for a long time. Qualifying for the main phase of European competitions is already a considerable achievement for our teams. However, recent seasons have shown better performance by Polish teams, giving hope that good results will continue and improve the country's position in the UEFA club ranking.
Polish fans dream of reaching a place in the top fifteen. This would allow more Polish teams to participate in the qualifiers for European cups, start from later qualification rounds, and be seeded in various stages. This would significantly increase the chances of Polish teams appearing in the final stages of the competitions.
The UEFA ranking is calculated based on performances over the last five seasons. Teams playing in the qualification and main phases of tournaments earn points for wins and draws.
Group and knockout stages:
Qualification phase:
Additionally, since the 2009/10 season, bonus points are awarded for advancing to the knockout stages of each competition. As you can see, achieving good results is very rewarding. It affects not only a country's position in the UEFA ranking but also financial rewards.